Three books of occult philosophy written by Henry Cornelius Agrippa of Nettesheim ... ; translated out of the Latin into the English tongue by J.F.

CHAP. XXXVI. Of Man, how he was created after the Image of God.

THe most abundant God (as Trismegistus saith) hath framed two Images like himself, viz. the world and man, that in one of these he might sport himself with certain wonderfull operations: but in the other, that he might en∣joy his delights, who seeing he is one, hath created the world one, seeing that he is infinite, hath created the world round

seeing he is eternall, he hath created the world incorruptible and everlasting: seeing he is Immense, he hath created the world the greatest of all things; seeing he is the chiefest life, he hath adorned the world with vitall seeds, begetting all things out of himself; and seeing he is omnipotent, by his will alone, not by any necessity of nature, he hath created the world, not out of any foregoing matter, but out of nothing; and seeing he is the chief goodness, embracing his word, which is the first Idea of allthings, with his choisest will, and essentiall love, he hath fabricated this externall world after the example of the In∣ternall, viz. Ideall world, yet sending forth nothing of the es∣sence of the Idea, but created of nothing that which he had from eternity by the Idea: God also created man after his I∣mage; for as the world is the Image of God, so man is the I∣mage of the world. Hence some think that it is spoken, that man is not created simply the Image of God, but after the Image, or the Image of the Image; therefore he is called Mi∣crocosme, that is the lesser world; The world is a Rationall crea∣ture, Immortall'; man in like manner is rationall but mortal, that is, dissolvable; for (as Hermes saith) seeing the world it self is immortall, it is Impossible that any part of it can perish. Therefore to dye, is a vain name, and even as Vacuum is no where, so also Death; Therefore we say a man dieth, when his Soul and body are separated, not that any thing of them perisheth or is turned into nothing. Notwithstanding the true Image of God is his word. The wisdome, life, light and Truth existing by himself, of which Image mans soul is the I∣mage, in regard of which we are said to be made after the I∣mage of God, not after the Image of the world, or of the crea∣tures; for as God cannot be touched, nor perceived by the ears, nor seen with the eyes; so the soul of man can neither bee seen, heard nor touched. And as God himself is infinite, and cannot be compelled by any, so also the minde of man is free, and cannot be enforced or bounded. Further, as God comprehendeth this whole world, and whatsoever is in it in his minde alone; so mans minde comprehendeth it even in thought; and that which is peculiar to him alone with God, as

God moveth and governeth all this world by his beck alone, so mans minde ruleth and governeth his body Therefore it was necessary, that the minde of man thus sealed by the word of God, should put on also the corporeall man, after the most compleat example of the world: Therefore man is called the other world, and the other Image of God, because he hath in himself All that is contained in the greater world, so that there remaineth nothing which is not found even truly and really in man himself, and all these things do perform the same duties in him, as in the great world: There are in him the four Elements, with the most true proprieties of their na∣ture, and in him an ethereal body, the Chariot of the soul in proportion corresponding to the Heaven: There are in him the vegetative life of Plants, the senses of animals, of celestial spirits, the Angelical reason, and the Divine understanding, and the true conjunction, and divine possession of all these things flowing together into one. Hence in sacred Letters man is called every creature, and not onely man being made another world doth comprehend all the parts thereof in him∣self but also doth receive and contain even God himself. Hence Xystus the Pythagorian, saith, that the soul of man is the temple of God: which thing Paul also more clearly expressed, saying, ye are the Temple of God; & the same the sacred Scrip∣ture testifieth in many places: Therefore man is the most ex∣press Image of God, seing man conteineth in himself all things which are in God: but God by a certain eminency contemeth all things through his power, & simply, as the cause and begin∣ning of all things; but he hath given this power to man that he should in like manner contein all things, but by a certain act & composition, as the knot, tye, and bond of all things: There∣fore man only rejoyceth in this honor, that he hath a simili∣tude with all, operation with all and conversation with all: He Symbolizeth with the matter in a proper subject; with the Elements in a fourfold body; with Plants in a vegetative vertue; with animals in a sensitive faculty; with the Heavens in an Etherial spirit, and influx of the superior parts on the inferiour: with the Angels in understanding and wisdome;

with God, in conteining all things: He is preserved with God, and the Intelligences, by faith and wisdome: with the heavens and heavenly things, by reason and discourse: with all Inferi∣our things, by sense and Dominion: and acteth with all, and hath power on all, even on God himself, by knowing and lo∣ving him; and as God knoweth all things, so also man can know all things Intelligible, seeing he hath for an adequate Object, Ens in general, or (as others say) Truth it self; neither is there any thing found in man, nor any disposition, in which some∣thing of divinity may not shine forth; neither is there any thing in God, which may not also be represented in man: Whoso∣ever therefore shall know himself, shall know all things in himself; especially he shall know God, according to whose Image he was made; he shall know the world, the resem∣blance of which he beareth; he shall know all creatures, with which he Symbolizeth; and what comfort he can have and ob∣tain, from Stones, Plants, Animals, Elements, Heavens, from Spirits, Angels, and every thing, and how all things may be fit∣ted for all things, in their time, place, order, measure, proporti∣on and Harmony, and can draw and bring to himself, even as a Loadstone Iron; And Geber in his summ of Alchimy teacheth, that no man can come to the perfection of this art, who shall not know the principles of it in himself; but by how much the more every one shall know himself, by so much he obtaineth the greater power of attracting it, and by so much operateth greater and more wonderfull things, and will ascend to so great perfection, that he is made the Son of God, and is trans∣formed into that Image which is God, and is united with him, which is not graunted to Angels, the world, or any creature, but to man only, viz. to have power to be made the Son of God, and to be united to him: but man being united to God, all things which are in man, are united, especially his minde, then his spirits and animal powers, and vegetative fa∣culty, and the Elements are to the matter, drawing with it self even the body, whose form it hath been, leading it forth into a better condition, and an heavenly nature, even untill it be glorified into Immortality. And this which we have spo∣ken

is the peculiar gift of man, to whom this dignity of the divine image is proper, and common to no other creature: But there are some Theologians, who make those powers of mans memory, understanding, will, the image of the Divine trinity; and there are who going further, do place this image not only in these three faculties which they call first acts, but also in the second acts; And as the memory representeth the father, the understanding the son, the will the Holy Ghost; So also the word produced from our understanding, and love flowing from our will, and the understanding it self having a present object and producing it, do set forth the son, spirit and father; and the more mysterious Theologians teach that moreover all our members do represent something in God whose image they bear; and that even in our passions we re∣present God, but by a certain Analogy: for in the holy word we read of the wrath, fury, repentance, complacency, love, hatred, pleasure, delectation, delight, indignation of God, and such like, and we have above spoken something of the members of God, which may be congruent here; Also Mer∣curius Trismegistus confessing the divine Trinity, describeth it understanding, life and brightness, which elsewhere he calleth the word, the minde and the spirit, and saith that man made after the image of God, doth represent the same Trinity; for there is in him an understanding minde, a verifying word, and a spirit, as it were a Divine brightness diffusing it self on every side, replenishing all things, moving and knitting them together: but this is not to be understood of the naturall spirit which is the middle by the which the soul is united with the flesh and the body, by the which the body liveth and acteth, and one member worketh on another, of the which spirit we have spoken in the first book. But we here speak of the naturall spirit, which yet in some sort is also corporeall, notwithstanding it hath not agrosse body, tangible and visible, but a most subtile body and easie to be united with the mind viz. that superiour and Divine one which is in us; neither let any one wonder, if we say that the rationall soul is that spirit, and a corporeall thing,

or that it either hath or savoureth something of corporiety while it is in the body and useth it as an instrument, if so be that ye shall understand, what, amongst the Platonists, that Etheriall body of the soul, and chariot of the same may be; therefore Plotine and all the Platonists, after Trismegist, in like manner, place three things in man, which they call the Su∣preme, lowest and middle: The Supreme is that Divine thing which they call the mind, or superiour portion, or illuminated intellect. Moses in Genesis calleth it the breath of life, viz. breath from God or his spirit inspired into us; The lowest is the Sensitive soul which they also call an Image: Paul the Apostle nameth it the Animall man. The middle is the reasonable spirit knitting and tying together both extreams, viz. the Animal soul with the mind savouring of the nature of both extreams: yet it differeth from that Supream which is called the illumi∣nated intellect, the mind, light and supream portion; it dif∣fereth also from the Animall soul, from the which, the Apostle teacheth us, that we ought to separate it, by the power of the word of God, saying, the word of God is lively and powerfull, more penetrating then a twoedged sword, peircing even to the dividing of the soul and spirit: for as that supream por∣tion never sinneth, never consenteth to evil, and alwayes re∣sisteth errour and exhorteth to the best things; so that inferior portion and Animall soul is alwayes overwhelmed in evil, in sin and concupiscence, and draweth to the worst things, of the which Paul saith, I see another Law in my members, lead∣ing me captive to the law of sin: The minde therefore the supream portion is never damned; but when its companions are to be punished, goeth away unhurt into its Originall: But the spirit, which by Plotinus is called the reasonable soul, see∣ing it is by its nature, free, and can according to his pleasure adhere to either of them, if it constantly adhere to the su∣periour portion, is at length united and beautified with it, un∣till it be assumed into God: if it adhere unto the inferior soul, it is depraved, and becomes vitious, untill it be made a wicked spirit. But thus much concerning the mind and spirit: now let us see concerning the speech or word. Mercurius thinketh this

of the same value for immortality: for speech or word is that without which nothing is done or can be done; for it is the expression of the expressor and of the thing expressed; and the speaking of the speaker, and that which speaketh, is speech or word: and the conception of the conceiver and that which conceiveth, is the word: and the writ∣ing of the writer and that which writeth, is the word: and the forming of the former and that which formeth, is the word; and the creation of the Creator, and that which createth is the word: and the doing of the doer, and that which is done is the word: and the knowledge of him that knoweth and the thing knowen is the word; and every thing that can be spoken is but a word, and its called equality: for it car∣rieth it self equally towards all; seeing that it is not one thing more then another, equally bestowing on all, that they may be, that which they are, neither more nor lesse; and it self being sensible, doth make it self and all things sensible, as light ma∣keth it self & all things visible; therefore the word is called by Mercurius the bright son of the mind; for the conception by the which the mind conceiveth it self, is the intrinsecall word generated from the mind viz. the knowledge of it self: But the extrinsecall and vocall word, is the of-spring and mani∣festation of that word, and a spirit proceeding out of the mouth with sound and voice, signifying something: but eve∣ry voice of ours, speech and word unlesse it be formed by the voice of God, is mingled with the air and vanisheth; but the spirit and word of the Lord remaineth, life and sense accom∣panying it. Therefore all our speech, words, spirit and voice have no power in Magick, unless they be formed by the divine word: & Aristotle himself in his Meteors, and in the end of his Ethicks confesseth, that there is not any vertue either natural or morall, unless through God; & in his secret tenents, he affirm∣eth that our understanding being good and sound can do very much on the secrets of nature if so be that the influence of the Divine power be present, otherwise nothing at all: So also our words can do very many miracles, if they be formed by the word of God, in which also our universall generation is

perfected, as Isay saith, by thy countenance O Lord we have conceived, as women rightly conceive by the countenance of their husbands, and have brought forth spirit. Hither in some sort belongeth that which is delivered by the Gymnosophists of the Indians, viz. that Budda a prince of this opinion, brought forth a virgin out of his side; and amongst the Ma∣humetans there is a constant opinion, that many, whom in their tongues they call Nefesohli, are born by a certain oc∣cult manner of Divine dispensation without carnall copulati∣on, whose life is therefore wonderfull and impassible and as it were Angelical and all together supernaturall; but these triffles we leave; only the King Messias, the word of the fa∣ther, made flesh, Christ Jesus hath revealed this secret, and will further manifest it at a certain fulness of time: therefore a mind very like to himself (as Lazarillus sang in Crater of Hermes.)

God gave man reason that like dieties He might bring forth gods with capacity. O happy he that knows his worth, and how He equall is unto the gods above! They represse dangers, make diseases flie, They give presages, and from misery Deliver men, reward the good, and ill Chastise, and so the will of God fulfill; These are Disciples, and the sons of God Most High—

Who are not born of the will of flesh, or of man, or of a menstruous woman, but of God: but it is an universall gene∣ration in which the Son is like the Father in all manner of similitude, and in the which, that which is begot is the same in specie with the begetter; and this is the power of the word formed by the mind, and received into a subject rightly dis∣posed, as seed into the matrix for the generation; but I say disposed & rightly received; because that all are not partakers of the word after the same manner, but others otherwise; and these are the most hidden secrets of nature which ought not to be further published.